E.'s Reviews > Die Wolke des Nichtwissens

I finally finished the late-Medieval instruction manual about the contemplative way that is the main source of Thomas Keating's "Open Mind, Open Heart", which influenced me immensely during the period of my first adult steps in the faith.

It is an instruction manual of an "exercise" that is a form of prayer as well as a way of life, as simple and bottomless as only an act of love towards God can be. It is written in the style of an extended speech of a wise spiritual guide to a young student in the contemplative life, explaining the conditions of undergoing this exercise, the dynamics of the spiritual life as well as some possible pitfalls to be avoided.

The German translation I've read seems to be quite close to the Old English original, since it doesn't eschew the parts that most explicitly exhibit the author's embeddedness in his late-Medieval worldview - dangers of hell and everything. I compared it to a "contemporary English edition" (from Paraclete Essentials) from time to time, which is extremely abbreviated and adapted to Modern sensibilities, and thereby looses some of the rich texture of this work, so choosing the right edition does matter here.